Clifton Colour, Bristol 10

My drawing and painting practice centres around the urban landscape.  At present I am exploring the concept of bridging – the linking of the two sides and its metaphoric and transient nature.

My initial responses to the bridge itself are recorded in a drawing book on site, using an energetic visual language that is accentuated by a sense of place and the elements.

Back in the studio this work is transcribed into paintings using acrylic paint and oil sticks on canvas or paper, at the same time retaining the energetic vitality of the original drawings. 

The layered edges of the canvas explore the limbus effect that questions where the painting ends and reality begins.  It reflects the history of its making and invites the viewer to place the canvas in reality.

Drawing plays an important part in my practice and through drawing blind I have been exploring freedom from the critical eye.  The unpredictable combination of soluble crayon and water, plus calligraphic influences have resulted in the development of an intriguing body of drawings that enjoys a freedom from the correcting element constantly experienced when drawing with sight.

These influences feed into my paintings, encouraging them to teeter enticingly between reality and abstraction.